Workout failure? Here are the 6 common mistakes you can avoid

8 years ago | Posted in: Articles, Health | 1237 Views

Workouts are a pretty decent way to get fit. You lose weight, and more importantly, you gain muscle in all the right areas. Using the right workout regime and style, you can easily build up your body, whether you want to look like a model or a body builder.

However, it is very easy to make mistakes during workout and exercise regimes that often end up causing injuries. They can also slow down your progress. Either way, it is best practice to do a bit of research and avoid the most common pitfalls. We have composed a list of some of the major mistakes to avoid during your workout and exercise regimes.

Lack of a trainer/training program

Probably the best place to start a workout is by joining a gym and finding a training program that is designed for your body type. Most fitness centres as well as gyms will happily create a training program based on your needs, demands, and more importantly your specific body type and health condition.

Often people will pick up a magazine or search for some workout, and just blindly follow it. Alternatively, they might ask a friend and just go for whatever they tell you to do. However, it is very important to check what exactly those training programs are made for. Were they focusing on a well-built body or for somebody who is petite? Does it have to be paired with any other exercise programs to have the best impact? Does it require watching your diet?

To answer all these questions, it is important to get a personal trainer or join a class or specific exercise regime.   

Ignoring ‘leg day’

It is very easy to focus on the elements of the workout that only affect the aspects of your body that are visible. Often people end up focusing on their biceps, triceps or the torso area. This may mean that it is easy to spot all your hard work. Ignoring elements of your body such as legs may mean that your body isn’t developing properly.

Ignoring elements of an exercise

The same is noticeable if you don’t perform your exercises properly.  You may do all the weight lifting, but may miss out on the other elements. You might skip the little details.

It might seem like a shortcut, but the human body doesn’t work that way. Remember to stick to the complete work out or training program, and remember to focus on your whole body.

Doing too much

Almost everyone starts like this, including yours truly. You go to the gym, and on the first day, you work too hard. This often ends up hurting your body, or draining too much out of your muscles. The next few days are a pain, and the effect is not just physical but mental as well.

However, as the body progresses, it is often very easy to do the same when you are progressing well. Everything is working well, so why not try a little bit harder. An easy but slippery slope, as the effects are pretty much the same as the classic ‘first day at gym’.   

Not trying hard enough

Interestingly, the same is also true for exactly the opposite. If you are doing a work out, remember to push yourself too. Just doing the same exercises might be good to maintain a certain level of fitness, but unless you are pushing yourself, it just won’t do much to change your body.The human body is designed in a way thatit is in need of constant improvement. It thrives on it. So remember to throw in that little bit of extra sweat. Once the current regime is easy to do, add a few extra steps or weights.

Eating anything and everything – or not eating enough

Almost an obvious one, but we often fall prey to this one. You have exercised and worked hard. You have burnt a lot of calories. Surely, you should be able to eat anything today, right? It is important to try and avoid this trap.

Quite important to avoid the other end of the spectrum as well. Often people start to see improvements such as the burning of fat. Only natural to try and make your body work even harder by starving it too.

In fact, most good fitness and training programs come with advice on diet or at least watching your calories. Following them is only natural and advisable. In fact, a good balance of carbs, protein and fibreswill not only help your body, but also enhance all your physical work.   

Common mistakes while doing yoga

While yoga may not be considered a proper workout by most people, the truth is that it is far better than most other forms of exercise. It is a very popular form of exercise and fitness regime that focuses on all three important elements including the body, mind and the soul. For the interest of completeness, we have also added a few common mistakes that people may make during their yoga sessions.

  • Know what you are doingIt is very important to know what you are doing. While yoga may look like a gentle form of exercise to the naked eye, it can easily cause injuries. For this reason, it is advisable to at least start doing yoga with a trained instructor. It is very easy to join yoga classes, as they can be easily found all around the world.
  • Trying too hard – This is an easy mistake to make with any kind of workout, and yoga is no exception. While yoga comes with specific poses, remember that each pose is slightly different for everyone. If you try too hard, you are susceptible to hurting yourself.
  • Not relaxingIt is so important that it needs to be mentioned separately from the mistake above. Yoga is all about relaxing, and some people are very bad at not being able to relax while doing yoga. Remember to breath in, breath out, hold your pose, and let your thoughts be one with your body.
  • Not breathing properlyWhile holding poses, it is very easy to just hold your breath when focusing too hard. This means that your body fails to relax. The idea of yoga is to be able to relax and breathing is a very important part of the process. In fact, being able to take deep breaths is often encouraged in all areas of life, and it helps calm the nerves and relax your mind. During yoga it only adds to the experience.
  • Not ‘getting’ yoga Yoga is more than just an exercise. It is a way of being. It is a life style. While all this sounds extremely clichéd, the main lesson here is to get to the philosophy of yoga, and implement it while you are doing it. If you’re new to it and would really like to give it a shot, we advise that you start with taking an exotic yoga retreat!

 

By: Erica Silva

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